Blank (Previously Girl Next Door Syndrome)
by FruitSnapple
Summary: In which Fran becomes as blank and unfeeling as they believed he was.


**_It's been so long since I've been on FF! My previous account (FuutaxFran ULTIMATECRACKPAIR) is unavailable to me now, so I've decided to make a new account. If you have any questions, please check my bio and don't be afraid to PM me!_**

**_Chapter 1_**

It was spring, just a couple of days were left until spring break was over, actually. Two good friends lounged underneath a shady tree.

"So, how are your other siblings?" the younger of the two questioned, a smile spread across his face. The fresh winds played with his messy brown hair as he spoke, blowing it this way and that. "I know Chrome's well, but what about the others? I rarely get to see Chikusa or Ken or M.M. nowadays."

"They're all doing very well, actually. Chikusa and Ken got accepted into Namimori University. They'll be starting classes the same time you do." the other replied. His own long blue hair dancing gracefully behind him. "And M.M. recently got a promotion at the design company she works for, she's the vice-president now."

"That's great! And what about your younger brother?"

Silence. The older of the two went still for a moment. Closing his eyes, he let out a breath and leaned against the tree. "Fran is...fine."

"I haven't seen him since he was in 3rd grade. I'd really like to know if he's alright, Mukuro-kun."

"I'd like to know that too, Tsunayoshi."

"Fran-chan, we're going to Tsuna-kun's house today."

A young lady about 17-years-old let herself into her younger brother's room. She was greeted with the sight of utter chaos.

Papers and open books were spread all over the floor and tacked to the walls. Pens, empty teacups, and candy wrappers littered the work desk across the room. A pale, thin figure sat in front of a computer, short green hair messily tied into a ponytail. Slender fingers tapped furiously at a keyboard.

"I'm busy." Fran stated in his usual monotone voice.

"Your room is a _wreck_."

"I was rewriting a chapter of my story and I had to polish up on my Latin."

"Of course you did." Chrome folded her arms, unamused. "Clean this mess up, we have to be at the Sawada's house in half an hour."

"What part of I'm busy do you not understand? In case you didn't notice, I have a deadline to long haired editor of mine has been riding my ass for the past few weeks and if I don't finish this chapter, he'll work me twice as hard _next_ month."

"_**Language, young man.**_" Chrome hissed before sighing. "You've been glued to your computer since Golden Week started, why don't you take a little break?"

"I still have two more pages to go."

"That's not that much! C'mon, just take a couple hours to rest. You can finish up right after."

"Look, you aren't a writer. I can't expect _you_ to understand how long it takes to write two pages of something vaguely witty or coherent. Just leave me alone so I can finish this up and go to sleep."

Chrome's face flushed a bit with anger. She was usually very patient with her brother, but she was tired of how snippy he was lately.

Stomping across the room, she unplugged the computer. "**_Sis._**"

"Clean this room up and take a shower. We are going to the Sawada's."

"You are so fucking lucky my computer automatically saves my progress."

Chrome, Mukuro, and Fran stood outside the Sawada residence, waiting for the door to open. "Hush, Fran! You will behave while we're here." Chrome warned him as the door swung open.

On the other side of the door stood a beautiful woman with short brown hair and warm brown eyes. A small, sweet smile brightened her features. "Chrome-chan, Mukuro-kun, I'm so glad you could make it."

"Hello, Sawada-san, we're happy to be here." Chrome replied with a smile and small bow.

"Well then, don't just stand there. Come in, come in, I'll make some tea." Sawada waved Chrome and Mukuro in before stopping to look at Fran. She allowed a tiny gasp. "Oh my!"

She stepped out to get a closer look at Fran. "Oh, you're little Fran-kun aren't you? I haven't seen you in so long!" Sawada wrapped her arms around Fran in a strong, yet gentle embrace. And, to his sibling's surprise, Fran allowed it.

He remembered Sawada from his childhood. He remembered her full name was Sawada Nana and that she was the mother of all four of the Sawada children. He also remembered she was a very kind, charming woman and that he was very fond of her. When she was around, she would protect him from the other children.

"Hello, Nana-san." he said, barely managing a greeting. Fran had never been very good with people.

"Come in, dear." Nana cooed, leading Fran inside. "We'll be able to catch up over dinner."

Inside, the three of the four Sawada children were sitting in the living room, waiting on the rest of the guests. Nana excused herself to finish making dinner and Chrome soon followed her out, leaving Mukuro and Fran to greet their hosts.

"Hello Tsunayoshi." Mukuro purred, settling down on the couch in the empty spot next to his old friend.

"Mukuro-kun, quit being creepy." Tsunayoshi whined, scooting a bit to the side.

There were many things Fran didn't understand and this world and one of them was the relationship between the young men sitting in front of him.

Rokudo Mukuro and Sawada Tsunayoshi (The eldest Sawada child who preferred to be called Tsuna.) had been best friends since Fran's family moved to Namimori a month after Fran was born. They knew everything about each other and spent quite a bit of time together. However, their personalities clash more often than not. The two are prone to arguments that, on occasion, turn rather violent.

"Is that anyway to speak to your _best friend_?" Mukuro's smile was tight and eerie. He threw his arm around Tsuna's shoulders, squeezing him tightly.

"What other way is there to speak to you? It's not good to lie to your friends, so calling you pleasant is out of the question." Tsuna's smile matched Mukuro's.

Fran decided it was best to ignore those two. He didn't want to get caught in the middle of...whatever it was they were doing.

He turned his attention to the younger Sawada children. Sawada Lambo and Sawada I-Pin were both 9-years-old and were adopted from Italy and China respectively. Although both value their native countries' culture, they have never felt strange growing up in Japan. They both agreed it was their home, even if they weren't born there.

Lambo had the face of an angel with bright green eyes and black curls framing his petite face. He acted like a devil, though. Always whining. Always crying. Always picking fights with people much stronger than him. Always getting into trouble... He's caused a lot of problems for his siblings in the past.

I-Pin, on the other hand, was the exact opposite of Lambo. She was very small and pale with long black hair pulled into two braids. Her eyes were dark, yet full of life. She was a very sweet, kind, and capable young lady. And she was very responsible and intuitive for her age.

The two were locked in a very serious game of Jenga. It was I-Pin's turn and she was still trying to figure out which block to pull. The whole tower looked like it could fall any second. Lambo sat smugly in his seat. When I-Pin hadn't been looking, he pulled two blocks on his last turn, taking away all the easy moves. I-Pin moved to grab a block.

"No, not that one." Fran sat down besides I-Pin. He pointed towards the block just left of the one she was about to pull. "This one."

I-Pin and Lambo were a bit startled by Fran's sudden interest in their game. They hadn't seen him in 4 years, so it had been a while since they last played together. "Onii-san!" I-Pin gasped, jumping slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"I came over for dinner with Chrome and Mukuro."

The children's eyes sparkled slightly. For whatever reason, they had always been attached to Fran since they were babies. Fran could still remember the two of them pestering him to play some game or following him when he went on walks.

"Then, then, while you're waiting you should play with me." I-Pin urged, jumping up and pulling Fran's arm. "Do you like volleyball? I have one! Mama took me to the community center, and there was a class for little kids to learn how to play."

"Actually, I'm the starting setter at my school."

"Really? You have to teach me how to toss, then." I-Pin pulled Fran up and out the sliding door. Lambo followed them, shouting that he wanted to play too.

"Onii-san, onii-san." I-Pin chirped as she, Fran, and Lambo walked back inside. "You should come by more often and teach me even more about volleyball. I want to start playing when I get older too!"

"You're scared to get hit by the ball."

"That was only once! Lambo hit it too hard."

Nana walked into the living room. "You're just in time for dinner."

"_Food!_" Lambo barked, rushing past her into the kitchen.

"Lambo, don't be rude, we need to wash up first!" I-Pin called, running after him.

"Thank you, Nana-san." Fran bowed slightly as he passed into the kitchen. He washed his hands in the sink and took a seat at the table. I-Pin and Lambo took their seats as soon as he picked up his chopsticks.

"Let's eat!" Nana chimed, taking a bite of orange chicken.

Tonight she was serving some of the Rokudo's favorite dishes and they were grateful for that. There was curry and some stir fry for Chrome and orange chicken and tempura for Mukuro. And, on the far left side of the table, there were sweet ribs for Fran. Meat sliced off the bone just like he liked it. Hallelujah.

He was about reach for some, when the front door opened. A voice called out, saying they were home. Fran stilled. He knew that voice.

A boy with short, sandy brown hair and starry eyes walked in. Fran noticed his smile evaporated when he spotted Fran at the table.

Nana, however, didn't notice. She smiled at the boy. "Welcome home, Fuuta."


End file.
